Tigerair dragging down Virgin Australia

Virgin Australia has hit back at critics questioning the future of Tigerair, saying it “has no intention of shutting down its budget carrier”.

                             TIGERAIR FLEET                     File Photo

Virgin says it “refutes speculation” from Mark Landau, managing director of investment firm L1 Capital, who told The Australian Financial Review the airline was losing so much money it would need to “cut capacity or shutdown altogether”. “Virgin Australia has no intention of shutting its budget carrier, Tigerair, and any suggestion is completely inaccurate and uninformed,” the airline said in a statement. “Tigerair will continue to play a very important role as the budget carrier for the Virgin Australia Group now and into the future.” However, an aviation analyst has told news.com.au that Virgin made a mistake in buying the airline in the first place and that it is unlikely to “ever turn a profit”. The appointment of Paul Scurrah as CEO in March has already led to big changes at Virgin Australia as it deals with a $349 million full year loss and a sinking share price. The airline has announced plans to make 750 staff redundant, cut routes including Melbourne to Hong Kong and a swag of domestic destinations, and it has bought out the remainder of the Velocity frequent flyer program it didn’t already own. Tiger has been a particular problem. It hasn’t made a profit since a modest $2.2 million in 2016. Last year the division made a loss of $45 million due, the company stated, to a reduction in capacity and passengers, fuel costs, industrial action and the cost of transitioning to an all Boeing fleet.

Alliance Airlines to perform charity flight

ALLIANCE FOKKER F28 MK 100 VH-UQA (CN 11499)   File Photo

Alliance Airlines is once again proudly supporting Variety, the Children’s Charity SA:

On Saturday April the 18th 2020, the Variety Footy Jet will take flight from Adelaide to the MCG in Melbourne to watch Port Adelaide take on Collingwood. With all proceeds going to help children who are sick, disadvantaged or who have special needs, this charity event includes same day return flights, coach transfers and AFL Reserve seating. “Variety is thrilled to have partnered with Alliance Airlines through the Variety Footy Jet for the past six years. This trip enables us to raise much needed funds for SA children in need. On behalf of all the children whose lives are brighter as a result, we say thank you,” says Variety SA CEO, Mark McGill. “Through the generosity of Alliance Airlines, the AFL and SITA, the package has been delivered to Variety at no cost and this has resulted in over $225,000 so far being raised for children in need.”

To book, please visit www.variety.org.au/sa/event/footy-jet/

Story taken from Alliance Airlines Instagram page.

Friday Spotting - Choose China

As you may be aware Etihad has several Boeing 787-9's painted up in the "Choose" livery.
I have 3 Choose liveries already and today "Choose Italy" came in so I went out to get this one.
This livery has come in before but I couldn't get out to get it before today. All I need now is Choose USA

ETIHAD B787-9 A6-BLH (CN 39653)
ARRIVING FROM ABU DHABI

SPORTING THE "CHOOSE ITALY" LIVERY

CHINA AIRLINES A350-941 B-18905 (CN 073)
ARRIVING FROM TAIPEI

QANTASLINK B717-2BL VH-YQW (CN 55194)
SPORTING THE "DISCOVER TASMANIA" LIVERY
ARRIVING FROM TOWNSVILLE

QANTAS B737-838 VH-VYJ (CN 34182)
ARRIVING FROM SYDNEY

QANTASLINK DASH 8 Q300 VH-TQY (CN 552)
ARRIVING FROM EMERALD

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA B737-8FE VH-VUA (CN 33997)
ARRIVING FROM ROCKHAMPTON

ROYAL FLYING DOCTORS BEECH SUPER KING AIR 350C
VH-FDF (CN FM-63)

SINGAPORE A350-941 9V-SHD (CN 278)
ARRIVING FROM SINGAPORE

CORPORATE AIR FAIRCHILD SA-227 VH-VEK (CN DC-845B)

SOLOMONS A320-211 H4-BUS (CN 0302)
ARRIVING FROM HONIARA

TIGERAIR A320-232 VH-XUG (CN 6032)
ARRIVING FROM CANBERRA

JETSTAR A320-232 VH-VGA (CN 4899)
ARRIVING FROM NEWCASTLE

ALLIANCE FOKKER F28-MK 100 VH-UQB (CN 11483)
ARRIVING FROM MOUNT ISA



QANTASLINK DASH 8 Q400 VH-LQJ (CN 4414)
ARRIVING FROM HAMILTON ISLAND

AIR NEW ZEALAND A320-232 ZK-OJD (CN 2130)
ARRIVING FROM AUCKLAND

AIR NEW ZEALAND A320-271NEO ZK-NHC (CN 8833)
ARRIVING FROM QUEENSTOWN



QANTASLINK B717-2BL VH-NXJ (CN 55166)
ARRIVING FROM CAIRNS

Remembering New Zealand Flight 901

Air New Zealand Flight 901 (TE-901) was a scheduled Air New Zealand Antarctic sightseeing flight that operated between 1977 and 1979. The flight would leave Auckland Airport at 8am, spend a few hours flying over the Antarctic continent, before returning to Auckland via Christchurch arriving in Christchurch at 7pm. It would sit on the ground in Christchurch for 45 minutes and then depart for Auckland, arriving there at 9pm. On the 28th November 1979, the fourteenth flight of TE-901, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30, (registration ZK-NZP CN 46910), with 237 passengers and 20 crew on board, flew into Mount Erebus on Ross Island, Antarctica, killing all on board . The accident became known as the Mount Erebus disaster.  (Mount Erebus is the second-highest volcano in Antarctica (after Mount Sidley) and the southernmost active volcano on Earth. It is the sixth-highest ultra mountain on the continent. With a summit elevation of 3,794 metres (12,448 ft), it is located in the Ross Dependency on Ross Island, which is also home to three inactive volcanoes: Mount Terror, Mount Bird, and Mount Terra Nova. The initial investigation concluded the accident was caused by pilot error, but public outcry led to the establishment of a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the crash. The commission concluded that the accident was caused by a correction made to the coordinates of the flight path the night before the disaster, coupled with a failure to inform the flight crew of the change, with the result that the aircraft, instead of being directed by computer down McMurdo Sound (as the crew had been led to believe), was instead re-routed to a path toward Mount Erebus. Justice Mahon's report accused Air New Zealand of presenting "an orchestrated litany of lies" and this led to changes in senior management at the airline. The Privy Council later ruled that the finding of a conspiracy was a breach of natural justice and not supported by the evidence. The accident is New Zealand's deadliest peacetime disaster, as well as the deadliest accident in the history of Air New Zealand.  ZK-NZP was the 182nd DC-10 to be built, and the fourth DC-10 to be serviced by Air New Zealand. The aircraft first flew on the 8th November and was handed over to the airline on the 12th December 1974 at McDonnell Douglas's Long Beach plant.



Nationalities of passengers and crew
The nationalities of the passengers and crew included:
Country        Passengers           Crew          Total
New Zealand       180                  20             200
Japan                     24                   -                24
United States         22                   -                22
United Kingdom     6                    -                   6
Canada                     2                    -                 2
Australia                 1                    -                  1
France                     1                    -                 1

1. Switzerland            1                   -                   1

Total                   237                  20              257

Jetstar's pilots to strike over Christmas

Australians planning to fly home for Christmas could see their plans disrupted as Jetstar pilots threaten to strike in mid-December.

JETSTAR B787-8 VH-VKA (CN 36227)         File Photo

You know its Christmas when airlines threaten to strike… if you are flying this Christmas and your thinking Jetstar, I would seriously reconsider.

Budget airline Jetstar could face disruptions over the busy Christmas period after pay negotiations with its pilots broke down. The Australian Federation of Air Pilots said last week it had applied to the Fair Work Commission to hold a vote among Jetstar pilots on taking protected industrial action. The proposed actions range from general work-to-rule (pilots not working outside of their rostered hours) to work stoppages of up to 24 hours, AFAP said. Jetstar is able to object to some forms of action with Fair Work today, before pilots vote on them. Jetstar and the union are at loggerheads over pay, with the airline saying it has proposed a 3 per cent annual wage rise but that the union wants a deal that would increase "pilot costs" by 15 per cent AFAP executive director Simon Lutton said the union was taking the step because its members were disappointed negotiations with Jetstar over a new enterprise agreement had stalled. “As negotiating with the company in good faith has got them nowhere, they have been left with no choice," Mr Lutton said. A Jetstar spokeswoman said it had been in constructive discussions about the new wage deal since January and remained committed to reaching an agreement, "but not at any cost". "There are many complex areas to discuss and working through the AFAP’s numerous claims and their many modifications takes time," she said. Mr Lutton said AFAP members, who make up the majority of Jetstar's pilots, were unhappy with salary and conditions, and concerned about how the airline's rostering practices affected pilot fatigue. Jetstar said captains on its fleet of narrow body jets earned $304,576 on average and first officers earned $184,260 last year, including superannuation and allowances. On larger aircraft which fly international routes, that went up to $323,274 and $234,516. The wage dispute comes at a time when Jetstar and its owner Qantas face pressure from falling demand, particularly among holidaymakers, who are choosing not to travel amid softening economic conditions. Jetstar's unit revenue - an industry figure used to measure passenger traffic - fell 2.6 per cent in the first quarter of the year.

Happy 12th Birthday Tigerair

IATA ICAO Call sign TT TGG TIGGOZ

Tiger Airways (Australia Pty Limited) commenced operating domestic flights in Australia on the 23rd November 2007 from its home base in Melbourne. On this day back in 2007 Tiger Airways Australia's first scheduled flight was TT 7402, which departed from Melbourne for the Gold Coast. The airline opened a second base in Sydney in July 2012 and a third base was opened in Brisbane in March 2014. Just days before the launch of Tiger Airways Australia, Jetstar (a low cost subsidiary of QANTAS) offered 5,000 seats on the 21st November 2007 for the price of five cents, inclusive of taxes, on seven domestic routes, costing the airline $25.00 per seat. In October 2012, Virgin Australia Holdings purchased 60% of Tiger Airways Australia from parent company Tiger Airways Holdings.

In July 2013 the airline re-branded from Tiger Airways

TIGER AIRWAYS A320-232 VH-VNG (CN 3674)

to Tigerair

TIGERAIR A320-232 VH-XUH (CN 6749)

and the joint venture between Tiger Airways Holdings and the Virgin Australia Group was launched. On the 17th October 2014 Virgin Australia purchase the remaining 40% so Tigerair Australia is now a fully owned subsidiary of Virgin Australia Holdings. Tigerair Australia operates 10 A320-232 and 5 B737-8FE to 12 destinations around Australia . In July last year Virgin Australia and Tigerair confirmed that the entire A320 fleet will be replaced with Boeing 737-800s by the end of 2019.

TIGERAIR B737-8FE VH-VUD (CN 34015)

As of October 2019, the Tigerair Australia fleet consists of the following aircraft: 

Tigerair Australia Fleet

Aircraft	In Service	Orders	Passengers	Notes
Airbus A320-200	10	—	180	All to be replaced by Boeing 737-800. Aircraft to be transferred to Virgin Australia's Regional Airlines.
Boeing 737-800	5	—	186	Aircraft transferred from Virgin Australia
Total	15

In July 2016, Tigerair Australia and its parent company (Virgin Australia) announced that the entire A320 fleet will be replaced with Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

The company slogan is "Go For It"

Airbus A320-200

10

—

180

All to be replaced by Boeing 737-800.
Aircraft to be transferred to Virgin Australia's Regional Airlines.

Boeing 737-800

5 

—

186

Aircraft transferred from Virgin Australia

Man posed as Lufthansa pilot to get free flights

A passenger has been arrested after attempting to impersonate a pilot to get a free flights.

The man claimed to be a pilot for Lufthansa while boarding an AirAsia flight at Delhi Airport, The Sun reported. According to the Times of India, he was caught wearing a Lufthansa pilot’s uniform and carried an identity card while travelling on an AirAsia flight in India. A source told the newspaper AirAsia contacted the local office for the German airline to confirm his credentials. “Lufthansa immediately sent its team to contact this person at Delhi Airport,” the source said. “When confronted by Lufthansa officials, the male person admitted to the impersonation.” Lufthansa staff  allegedly revealed he used the fake ID card several over the past six months after buying it in Bangkok. The man also said he used it to identify as a Lufthansa consultant before pretending to be an actual pilot. An AirAsia spokesperson told the Times of India: “The individual in question was impersonating as an employee of Lufthansa airlines. “He was handed over to the airport police, and an investigation has been ordered. “We would like to emphasise that we stand by all security policies and (until) the time the investigation is completed, we would be unable to provide specific details with regards to this.” The daring attempt mimics the 2002 film "Catch Me If You Can" starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks. The film, directed by Steven Spielberg, is based on the true story of Frank Abagnale*, who pretended to be a pilot on more than 250 flights in the 1960s. The prank has been attempted a number of other times as well.  A 32-year-old man attempted the same move with Lufthansa in 2012, while a 61-year-old French man also pretended to be a pilot on a US Airways flight in 2013.

Story sourced from here (but with additions)
https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/10379109/fake-pilot-lufthansa-free-flights/

*Abagnale impersonated a pilot to look more legitimate when cashing checks. He obtained a uniform by calling Pan American World Airways (Pan Am), telling the company that he was a pilot working for them who had lost his uniform while getting it cleaned at his hotel, and obtaining a new one with a fake employee ID number. He then forged a Federal Aviation Administration pilot's license. Pan Am estimated that between the ages of 16–18, Abagnale flew (as a passenger) more than 1,000,000 miles (1,600,000 km) on more than 250 flights and flew to 26 countries by deadheading.  As a teenager, he noticed that his hair was greying, which he parlayed into his pilot persona by giving the appearance of being older and having more professional credentials than he did.  As a company pilot, he was also able to stay at hotels free during this time. Expenses such as food or lodging were billed to the airline company. Notably, however, Abagnale did not fly on Pan Am planes, believing his charade could potentially be identified by real Pan Am pilots or employees who would be asked for genuine identification or proof of employment.  Abagnale stated that he was often invited by pilots to take the controls of the plane in-flight. On one occasion, he was offered the courtesy of flying at 30,000 ft (9,100 m). He took the controls and enabled the autopilot, "very much aware that I had been handed custody of 140 lives, my own included ... because I couldn't fly a kite."